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The latest and upcoming trend in education is to teach via gaming and by augmented reality. Any thoughts on how that will impact science classes?

Hi Patty, I'll second Adah and ask you to let us into your thinking a bit more. We look forward to your comments. Thanks muchly, patty

Patricia, I have tried "gaming" in my classroom, but I have some mixed feelings on the impact it may have on student learning. For the most part, this is new field for students and the learning curve is quite steep. Students need to learn programming and be creative in game design and try to make both elements work well together. However, I can see the possibilites of creating a game that is science related, for example it might be possible to create a simple matching game (vocabulary to definition or picture to a concept) and if the student correctly makes a match they get points. Well, this is quite exciting, and the possibilty of combining the two elements together does not seem to far fetched. I wish I more knew about the different game softwares available for students. I am aware of game maker, is there anything else?

Wow! What Phillip shared was interesting. I think students would LOVE the opportunity however, I am not tech savvy myself. It would make for great opportunity for myself to learn about programming. Are there any STEM teacher training sessions available for these types of things?

I have used some gaming and science simulations in my classroom lesson planning. However, like anything, if it is overused, the students can quickly become bored with the application. I think "Angry Birds" would make a great physics lesson...or the PhET simulations within the University of Colorado website are also very engaging for most students. However, gaming lessons and simulations need to be balanced with other types of activities and lesson ideas to keep the attention of all.

I had my 8th grade students design board games at the end of our physical science sections before we moved to genetics. That went very well, the 6th and 7th grades played them during a middle school fun-day. I did have some problem with students who just had no idea how to start. We spent a lot of time "learning to think" which was very nice. I would think that adding programing to that would have taken a lot of help from the computer teacher and way more time then I could have justified to my Principal. How would a teacher will little programing experience even start doing that? I am like my students I would have to "learn to think" on that one.

Hi Everyone - Gaming and Virtual Field Trips can be very powerful learning tools. I also agree that you have to be careful not to overuse them. I'm also very curious about "augmented reality" program use in the classroom. Hope to hear more details soon. Dorothy

Hi All, As Tina said, gaming is where students learn in an interactive environment towards completing a goal. They compete against themselves, but can also earn awards for finishing specific tasks. As things progress, gaming will become more sophisticated. Here's a good video that explains gaming in science http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wsen5rg7Lb0&feature=youtu.be Augmented reality is the use of technology to enhance reality---or live---world. You basically combine real and computer images at the same time. For example, check out the app LeafSnap (http://leafsnap.com/). Leafsnap is a free electronic field guide that is a form of augmented reality. Let's say you are taking a hike and you see a tree or shrub that you don't recognize. You can use your mobile device to take a picture of the leaf, flower, or berry---Leafsnap uses visual recognition software to help you to identify the species. Going further, augmented reality can enhance what you see, hear, and feel---it is probably easier to picture by watching a video. Here's a link to video clip that explains it http://science.discovery.com/videos/pop-sci-computers/

Rochelle, Here's a link to a gaming lab. It is a 3 week online camp that ran last year. Don't know if they are running it again but you could email to find out http://news.boisestate.edu/update/2011/04/18/3d-gamelab-summer-camp-turns-learning-into-a-game/

Has anyone entered the STEM game challenge? http://stemchallenge.org/

My students were interested we did not have the program that was required; I think you might need flash or gaming program.

Hi Pam, You asked about the STEM Game Challenge. My students have not entered the challenge, but I played around recently with the site. Under "resources" there are a number of sites that help kids make video games---some require basic programming (like Scratch) and others do not. I actually just introduced Gamestar Mechanic to my students this week---the kids learn how to make video games by playing video games---it has been a big hit with the boys (several even emailed me for the link after it was introduced in class). It appears that some of the STEM Challenge winners used Gamestar Mechanic to create their winning game. If you have middle school students who enjoy video games you may want to check it out.

Hi, Could you provide more background information on the STEM challenge game? Would middle school students and teachers be able to participate? Are there special requirements for having certain types of technology available? What ever you have to share would be appreciated. Everything and everyone in my district is wanting to have a STEM something or another. Thank you.

I think that gaming can dramatically impact the leaning environment. In science this really helps students connect life and science. The games don't need to be preexisting either. The effect of adding a game environment to learning, both makes it fun and challenging. I heard of a teacher who created a set of quests to do for learning and each of those gave students the opportunity to earn badges or achievements. Although I myself enjoy games and think that this is a great way to engage or reengage students in learning. I fear that this also may detract from a students ability to be self-motivated. If we continually are offering a reward (money, tokens, candy, badges, etc....) then they will only work for those and not for the intrinsic joy of learning. In short bursts games are a fun break from the routine, but be wary of going all in with this method.

Great feedback. I am looking for information for the novice educator as well as those who use this technology strategy on a frequent basis.

Hi Zac, You raise some valid points to consider when teachers design their curriculum about what can stimulate creativity and exploration and what can almost become another 'drone' in the classroom. How would you integrate gaming into your learning center? As a special project perhaps or an a challenge that actually serves as an assessment if the game has a particular focus and content area and must somehow explain concepts? Also, I'm wondering if teachers would go overboard with any particular learning method or use gaming as just one of a multiple strand woven in during the year - perhaps as a one-time thing. How could educators avoid some of the pitfalls that you describe in designing curriculum? Thanks for your insight, Zac, and for sharing more with us. ~patty

For those of you that may be interested....The Federation of American Scientists are reviewing science learning games. Here is the info and links. Science Game Reviews FAS Learning Technologies announced in December that we have started reviewing Science Learning Games ScienceGameReviews.org Games designed for players ages 10+ will be reviewed by FAS, a scientist and a teacher. You, the public, can review and post your score as well. Response to our announcement has been strong and positive from game makers and teachers alike! Thank you for your support! We are working on getting some reviews written. List of games we are working on: History of Biology Minesweeper Fold It Cellcraft You Make Me Sick EtRNA http://www.filamentgames.com/store (You Make Me Sick won the STEM Video Game Challenge last year!) We need teachers who have used these games in their classes to give us their expert opinions! You'll get a by-line authorship and a small reimbursement.

Sharon, Thanks for sharing this information and resources. I'm going to go and check out the winner from last year. What characteristics raised it above the other submissions to become the winner? Do you have a ready list of criteria to share? Thanks, ~patty ps. I thought the game would be free but there is a cost involved. This makes it difficult for teachers to evaluate and/or to provide feedback. I, obviously mistakenly, assumed that since there was a corporate sponsor, the winning game would be free.

In June I will be participating in Reacting to the PAst 12th Annual "Reacting to the Past" Institute at Barnard College The program features two cycles of game workshops that allow participants to experience two different "Reacting to the Past" games over the course of the institute. At registration, faculty participants should choose one game for Thursday-Friday and a second game on Saturday-Sunday. The program also includes a series of concurrent sessions focusing on the RTTP pedagogy, game management, and liberal education more generally. http://reacting.barnard.edu/2012-institute

Multi-touch tables recognize and accommodate several users at once, allowing students to collaborate and learn while playing a game. Two games, developed with the goal of teaching important evolutionary concepts, were tested on families in a busy museum environment and on pairs of college students. In both cases, the educational games succeeded at making the process of learning difficult material engaging and collaborative. http://www.seas.harvard.edu/news-events/press-releases/teaching-tree-thinking-through-touch

This is a great thread... I had some interesting feedback this year from one of my brighter students. I ask what lessons/activities the students did not enjoy and why at the end of every year. One young lady responded that she did not enjoy the PhET simulation "moving man," because she "really did not learn anything." She was not familiar with the concept of speed and direction in relation to slope previous to the activity, but she did not feel as if she was able to make any solid connections to the content through the simulation. Again, with any teaching tool - we need to use caution in implementation. Just because it works for some, does not mean that it works for all. If I was required to learn through gaming, I would be an epic failure - my kids laugh at my lack of gaming ability. I look forward to the development of gaming in education for those who can and will learn in that format - but it won't be all of my students.

Suzanne, Great point that we need to keep in mind that students learn in different ways; games have great appeal since they involve many multiple intelligences---kinesthetic, visual, mathematical/logical, and perhaps more. Not all students learn best from games, however. I wonder if boys learn from games better than girls? They certainly seem more interested in games than girls (I realize I am making a generality based on my teaching and parenting experience)

I have been using webadventures.rice.edu in my classrooms for years. At first some of the girls were not as comfortable as the guys, but now it is pretty equal and they all seem to enjoy learning in this way with game stuff embedded. These programs allow interactive student participation, reading online for information (but they are engaged in a story line and become part of the process working toward a solution so they are VERY engaged), and visuals for understanding complex topics. They are unique and cover up-to-date and valid science. And they have support materials too....my students love the embedded gaming aspects that are within the programs.

This summer, use PBS LearningMedia interactive games to experiment, manipulate, and investigate! Blend your students' interest in science with their fascination for digital games. Explore velocity, temperature, fish adaptations, climate, and uncover the identity of ten materials with clues from David Pogue. http://www.pbslearningmedia.org/?utm_source=061812&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=affinity

Lynn I noticed that you link was not "hot" This should work http://webadventures.rice.edu/

The Electric Company's Summer Learning Program is a six-week multimedia experience consisting of 24 sessions. Each session uses the show as a leaping-off point for developing children's vocabulary and exploring core math concepts. http://pbskids.org/lab/activity/tec-summer-learning-program/

Today the Early Education Initiative and the Future Tense project at Slate magazine is having a moderated discussion—in Washington DC and also streamed live online. http://earlyed.newamerica.net/blogposts/2012/will_minecraft_...ture-70251 ' target="_blank">http://earlyed.newamerica.net/blogposts/2012/will_minecraft_...ture-70251 " target="_blank"> http://earlyed.newamerica.net/blogposts/2012/will_minecraft_...ture-70251 ' target="_blank">http://earlyed.newamerica.net/blogposts/2012/will_minecraft_...ture-70251 [i]Today's young kids are now using technology to express themselves, make things, and share ideas. What do they have to teach us about the way they learn? Getting Schooled by a Third Grader: What Kids’ Gaming, Tweeting, Streaming and Sharing Tells us About the Future of Elementary Education Thursday, August 9, 2012 - 12:00pm - 1:30pm New America Foundation 1899 L Street NW Suite 400 Washington, DC 20036[/i] You might be interested in how writer Lisa Guernsey describes the use of the game Minecraft in her household in an August 6, 2012 column in Slate. http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/future_tense/2012/0...n_activity ' target="_blank">http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/future_tense/2012/0...n_activity " target="_blank"> http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/future_tense/2012/0...n_activity ' target="_blank">http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/future_tense/2012/0...n_activity I'm not interested in games on screens but don't object to them in moderation. Infant and toddler toys with buttons to electronically make sounds have already become standard in many homes, childcare and early learning programs. I would rather the children sing together with adults or use musical instruments. I hope that games on screens will always take a back seat to young children's exploration of the actual world. Peggy

The National Council of Mathematics is sponsoring a web seminar on games that encourage and enhance mathematical reasoning On Tuesday, August 28 at 1 pm ET. http://edcocp.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=d45b3eb6e1f59fc420d78ef88&id=8e95dbe078&e=cd8e5bdb0e This may be of interest to readers of this thread. Patty

Wow! This is really a great discussion. Like many of the contributors so far, I think that using games (video and/or traditional) to help students learn is a great idea as long as it's not over used. I have tried a few games at the middle school level to supplement science concepts, but it seems like many of the games, in the words of the kids, are "cheesy". I think one of the biggest challenges in educational gaming is to make it something that is fun and engaging for the kids so they do not lose interest. I've found that to really engage kids, the games need to be comparable to the video games they play on xbox or playstation. On the contrary, I have several board games (for instance Totally Gross: The Game of Science, Visual Brain Storms, Logic Links, and Quip) that the kids love to play. I really like the idea of having students write the code to program their own games. I think that is a fantastic way to teach logic and programming while helping students learn science concepts! Maureen

This opportunity may piggy-back on Maureen's comment about having students write code. Here's another webinar from Games for Change and there is a bit more lead time to register if you are interested. I'll post the info and a small blurb below: How To Integrate Game Design Activities Into Your Curriculum: A Guided Tour Presented by Emily Treat, Senior Producer, Games for Change Tuesday, September 11th at 4pm ET REGISTER HERE http://www.instantpresenter.com/AccountManager/RegEv.aspx?PIID=EB50DE85854F Interested in learning how to use games in your classroom to engage students with curriculum? Join us on September 11th when Emily Treat, Senior Producer at Games for Change, will show us how game design activities can be used in the classroom for more meaningful learning experiences for your students. She will give us a guided tour of an open source design software program, with a hands-on demonstration of how to quickly introduce features followed by activities which demonstrate how game design can be integrated into lesson plans. You will be encouraged to follow along in demo and to explore features to illustrate simplicity of software. The session also will outline potential frameworks for using game design for introducing, practicing, and reinforcing learning concepts. Emily will include tips on how to encourage student exploration while keeping them focused on curricular content. Join Emily to learn how to integrate game design activities into your curriculum. And an invitation to join the community. Game-Based Learning Join Game-Based Learning, an innovative, collaborative community that explores how to integrate games into the learning process to provide higher engagement and achievement for students. This community is a dynamic forum where educators, publishers, and game developers come together to share new ideas, information, resources, practices, and new developments in this emerging field. As a member of the community, you'll be invited to a free webinar and live chat each month that will touch on a different topic. You'll have access to all of the recorded webinars, presentations, and resources, providing you with an online learning center you can return to at any time. CE certificates are provided for attending and viewing the webinars. JOIN THE COMMUNITY

Has anyone utilized the Gizmos programs. I just moved to a middle school after 10 years in elementary and these "games" seem to be great simulations of labs for the students.

Here's a website some of you may enjoy called Teach with Portals. It involves game design and features a challenge

Hi Elaine, I am not familiar with the Gizmos program. Could you explain it a bit, please. Thanks, Patty

Maureen, A lot of teachers I've talked to feel the same way about educational games: if they teach anything, their not very fun; if they are fun, they don't teach much. This problem is currently being addressed by a project at Carnegie Mellon University called ENGAGE. http://www.etc.cmu.edu/engage/ '' target="_blank"> http://www.etc.cmu.edu/engage/ ' target="_blank"> http://www.etc.cmu.edu/engage/ The goal of the project is to get game designers together with education scientist to figure out how to develop educational games that are both fun and proven to actually teach something. Two games have been released so far, with a third expecting this winter. They are free to play and available all the time at the ENGAGE website. [In the interest of full disclosure, I should mention that I'm one of the educators working on the ENGAGE project, though I'd think they were an interesting resource anyway. :-) ]

I read the article on this too and my first question was, "Do they not realize how much gaming the kids do out of school?" Most kids game at least 10-15 hours Mon. - Fri. & about 8-10 hours on the weekends. That's on the low side too. If kids would read for at least half the amount of that time...now that would be something. The only curriculum that gaming would fit in perfectly is physical education. Xbox Kinect is a great way to get some P.E. time & coordination in on a rainy day. Other than that, I don't think gaming should be incorporated in any other curriculum. Art, science, & music need to remain hands on. More so with STEM coming in strong from K-12. Reading, writing, and math should incorporate technology but not gaming. I feel this way not only as a teacher but as a parent of gamers too.

Taking gaming into the classroom can be a double edged sword. In one sense, the games like Fold-it lead to unprecedented accomplishments in unexpected ways; as this is seen by the fact that students were skillful enough at gaming to accomplish, in a very short, time a solution to a problem with a protein involved in AIDS (and I believe this is also useful in curing cancer?. On the other hand we talk quite a streak about scientific literacy and then skirt around the challenge with more technology. More technology will not ensure more literacy in common core arenas. For example technologicaly competent students often cannot spell as spell-check has assumed this function for them. As for gaming, it can also become boring, encourage repetitive behaviors as a form of escaping the need to think analytically. Is this a form of laziness we encourage to avoid the effort involved in interacting directly with students. I recently had my forensics students play a game at Rice University's website which at first they seemed to enjoy. This was a series of two of four cases played as games,but they easily bored of it soon afterward. Does the downfall then become a constant need for novelty resulting in gaming ennui? Are we encouraging a sort of electronic Vegas effect? Some say the constant use of technology is making our current students a bit less likely to engage in a sustainable form of activity hopping from website to website and sensation to novelty and back again for more sensational stimulation. I highly doubt this type of carnival atmosphere was necessary to develop the minds of either Newton or Einstein and Calculus or Relativity; and, I believe it can lead to harmful preferences for some forms of unfocused thought processing. But games may also have their place if properly implemented in moderation-even highly beneficial...But how do we ensure popular sites are not visited instead-are you sure your students aren't texting each other for instance when they have their cell phones out to tweet the teacher? I would rather have them be able to debate/discuss global warming intelligently.

Happy New year Michele, I offer this greeting since I have been away from this forum for a good while and I hope that the teaching year is going well. Your post of December 11, 2012 was so thought provoking that I am prodded to chat with you in the hope that the time delay is not too long. 1. I absolutely concur with gaming being a double-edged tool for teaching about science, but like all tools, it has to be honed and pointed in specific directions that open paths to understanding while not promoting dull repetition or lead to some of the less task-oriented things that students may do while teachers believe they are fully engaged in a gaming situation. This leads to the question of how often a teacher might use the gaming strategy within a classroom. Is gaming part of the 5-8 educational steps taken within a learning cycle or is it only utilized for one or two specific content areas throughout the year. Variety within a cognizant pattern of learning is stimulating and often allows a different type of learner to excel. Perhaps we can prevent downfall and ennui with selective usage? 2. I always hassle my thoughts with the need to spell and the advent of technology. I am of an age when spelling and grammar were of great importance in written reports, scientific or otherwise, as was sentence and paragraph construction. The need to communicate clearly and concisely is very is very important is science and may enable a grant writer to be an awardee or a science researcher/promoter to garner and win the attention of a sponsor. How often do we use our red pencil or do we suggest that students use the spell checker and resubmit a paper; then do we ask them to consult a gook for antonyms and synonyms. These are questions I wrestle with. How do I rate understanding of science content with ability to convey that understanding to another? I always varied the nature of final projects or end of unit assessments so that students had multiple ways to explain what they had learned. This eliminated spelling errors for some; I was always more concerned with the logical and mathematical errors in addition to how science concepts were applied. 3. As a veteran teacher who witnessed the development of computer technology used in the classroom and who has been a dedicated user of technology to allow students to use real-time graphing and now some gaming within the classroom, I see your concern with the technology carnival taking over but believe that teachers can harness what they may believe is a run away horse by incorporating technology and gaming into their offerings while adhering to education standards and varying classroom practice to highlight the best of each method for each topic. Perhaps we can modify the Three Musketeer Chant - not ONE for ALL but ALL may be used on ce...a sloppy syllogism for sure. Once again, thank you for your wonderful post and for sharing your ideas, Michelle. Thoughtful reflection is a hallmark of your being a fine teacher. ~patty

I just came across this at a website called sciencegamecenter.org http://www.sciencegamecenter.org/games/pandemic-ii Similar to a board game, action is imagined but clear and moving! This game is all about strategy! Various versions of the game are available for PC and Mac desktops/laptops. We are describing the web version here. You are a pathogen. You can choose to be a bacterium, virus or a parasite. Your goal is to kill everyone in the whole world. You must avoid letting humans find a cure against you. You must avoid detection. etc. You do this by choosing traits for your pathogen-self that allow you to spread unnoticed until it's too late... for example. Which country you choose to start in, what kind of pathogen you are, etc. all affect your success and require different strategic maneuvers. And yes, there is another game that is very similar to this one. This game Pandemic came out first, in 2008. The new game that you can play on iPad or Andoid is called Plague Inc. The new game, plague is more easy to pick up and play: so if you have a class of 5th graders and some tablets, Plague Inc. is your game. Additionally, Plague Inc. makes it more clear how changes in pathogen's characteristics affects spread of disease. There are numerous reviews that compare both games, and discuss how copycat games can improve a game... for kids who may want to become video game developers in the future, these two game are a good study. Technology development is a standard in most states. Why not consider how the existence and reasonable success of one product makes another one simpler to develop. A rather straight forward teaching opportunity I think... Arguments? Ideas?

There seems to be quite a variety of games at this site and you can search them by topic http://www.sciencegamecenter.org/games I would feedback from anyone who has used them

The use of virtual reality games into science education is increasing. The author discussed his experiences.

Attachments

PracticalConsiderationsForIntegratingVirtualRealityGaming.pdf (0.53 Mb)

Atlantis Remixed (ARX) is an international learning and teaching project that uses a 3D multi-user environments to immerse children, ages 9-16, in educational tasks. ARX combines strategies used in commercial games with lessons from educational research on learning and motivation. I have just started looking at this http://atlantisremixed.org/

I came across this website from Tech and Learning that might be helpful to someone:
Top 10 Educational Games

Pamela, You have shared great resources and sites. Question, if I may. Are you using any of these resources with students in class or are you using the information in teaching educational methods to pre-service and/or classroom teachers? We would be very interested in your and your students evaluations on how these sites could be or are being used in classroom situations and comments about integrating them into STEM environments. Thanks for enhancing your sharing with us. ~patty

The 'Week of Code' is coming up which includes lots of simple ways to start teaching computer programing. These skill can then be used to springboard into more complicated projects and STEM endeavors.

http://csedweek.org/

Some teachers like to use the activities as a way to learn coding for themselves (so they are then better able to help students).